Emanuel announces 50 speed camera locations

Just as most Chicagoans were heading into the holiday weekend and tuning out the news, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the full list of 50 locations where the city will put up ticket-issuing speed cameras near parks and schools by the end of the year.

The Emanuel administration previously had announced 12 of the locations where one or more of the cops in a box will be keeping an eye on motorists during school and park hours. A news release issued Friday afternoon includes the other 38 sites.

Each camera, like those already up, will trigger warning tickets during the first 30 days. After that, drivers exceeding the speed limit by between 6 and 10 mph will get $35 tickets in the mail. Those exceeding the limit by more than 10 mph will get $100 tickets.

Near parks, the cameras will be active when the parks are open, generally from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. The speed limits near parks is 30 mph.

Near schools, the cameras will be active from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on school days. From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., the speed limit in those areas is 20 mph when children are present and 30 mph when they are not. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the limit is 30 mph.

Under state law, the city can install the cameras at up to 300 schools and parks in designated safety zones. A Tribune analysis showed they could cover nearly half the city.

Although Emanuel repeatedly has said the program is designed to make the city’s children safer, it’s clear that it also will significantly beef up city revenue.

If as many tickets are issued by the cameras as violations counted during test runs, the city could issue $1.2 million in fines a month in each safety zone. That would end up bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars, far more money than the city’s estimated $40 million to $60 million a year.

Here's a list of the speed camera locations:

Four of the locations were to have cameras up and issuing warning tickets for their first 30 days of operation by the end of this week.

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